Dutch court kicks off MH17 trial against four suspects

Nearly five-and-a-half years after one of the deadliest aircraft incidents in modern history, three Russian nationals are on trial in the Netherlands alongside one Ukrainian citizen for their role in the 2014 downing of MH17 over eastern Ukraine. Three judges from The Hague District Court preside over the case which is poised to trigger renewed political tensions between Russia and the West after Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier rejected allegations by the Netherlands and Australia of his country’s role in the crash. Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov, and Leonid Kharchenko were named as suspects following a multi-year investigation by a five-country investigation team probing the circumstances of the July 17, 2014 crash. None of them showed up at the first day of the proceedings, and are unlikely to do so as Russia doesn’t extradite its citizens. Kharchenko, who holds Ukrainian citizenship, is on separatist-controlled territory in Eastern Ukraine, according to local media. Ukraine has put him on wanted list. Only Pulatov is represented in court, with his lawyer saying he wasn’t involved in downing the plane, while also questioning the investigation’s credibility. Pulatov’s lawyer also stressed the defense’s need for time as the the prosecutor’s file tops 36,000 pages. The four face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under Dutch law. The initial hearing on Monday verified 49 claims by the victims’ relatives to speak at the trial, while another 82 will send in written statements, meaning proceedings are expected to last until at least 2021. Relatives will be given ample time to speak in court, which is set up at at Schiphol Judicial Complex, near Amsterdam’s international airport where the ill-fated jet took off, a site large enough to house both the victim’s relatives, and media covering the trial.<br/>